Noob question - amtrak.com vs station

[D.P. Roberts]

Having traveled thousands of miles on Amtrak I feel like I should know this by now, but we never purchase tickets at the station. SO, I need some quick help.

Amtrak.com appears to offer 4 different buckets (at least they look like buckets) - Saver, Value, Flexible, and Premium. For a short trip we want to take this summer, only Value and Flexible show up. Is "Saver" only available as a sale price, or is the fact that "Saver" isn't listed mean that particular bucket is already gone?

Secondly, if we were to wait and buy tickets at the station, will we be offered basically the same options and prices (Value, Flexible, etc.) as what's currently on the website, or is there a different rate in the station?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I believe Savers are limited as to the # of seats they'll offer at that price, so they may be sold out already. Also, savers may not be available for all trains. I'm on the NEC, so usually see the saver fares...at least 14+ days out.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I say Book in Advance ASAP since Trains fill up and you risk paying the Highest Bucket if you wait and Buy @ the Station!

Saver Fares are 14 + Day Fares and as Betty said, sell out fast!

 

[PaulM]

The four options you see is not what is usually meant by buckets, rather choices you can make.

Don't know nothing about the NEC; but out here, saver is a once in a while sale price for coach. Value is the current bucket coach price except that high bucket is the same as flexible. So if the current price is high bucket, value disappears, leaving you with flexible. Premium refer to sleeping accommodations and business class, except it doesn't include Acela BC because it really is a fancy term for coach).

I'm not sure what they are, but saver has some limitations that value doesn't. For example, sleeping car passengers pay low bucket value, not saver if it exists.

 

[niemi24s]

As PaulM alluded, what you were seeing aren't buckets. Buckets are the different prices for the same accommodation. The accommodations are Coach, Roomette, Family Bedroom, Bedroom and Business Class. Each of those (except Business Class) has 5 different prices (buckets) as shown here:



People here will say there are a myriad of factors that determine which bucket (price) Amtrak charges on a particular day. But all we need to know is that the fares fluctuate depending on the date of travel. Furthermore, if your travel date is not set in stone, AmSnag... http://biketrain.net/amsnag/amSnag.php ...can be used to see what the fare will be for as many as 30 days at a time. This allows the frugal and flexible traveler to select a travel date having the lowest fare. In addition, when coupled with the info in the chart above, you can tell which buckets are being shown and whether or not the lowest fare you see is the very lowest it can be.

However, if a route is popular and in high demand you may never see the low bucket fare for a sleeper offered.

 

[the_traveler]

Saver is the very lowest fare bucket, if it's available once that bucket sells out, you will no longer see the saver fare being offered at all.

 

[Bex]

Savers on the NEC do sell out but they aren't always available right away. Popular trains on Friday or Sunday and occasionally other days start with Value as lowest price available and then eventually get a Saver. The pattern I tend to see for popular trains (I travel just about weekly nine months of the year) is:

4 months out and more = Value and higher

2-3 months = Saver available

6 weeks to a month = Saver sometimes sold out

1 month or less = Saver frequently sold out

2 weeks or less - no Savers

I check the site weekly at that change from 4 to 3 months and can usually grab a Saver. One big example is 85 on Fridays; it starts high and gets lower. Another that often gets a Saver as time goes on is 193 on a Thursday.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

Thanks to all for your replies. I found this one particularly curious:

Savers on the NEC do sell out but they aren't always available right away. Popular trains on Friday or Sunday and occasionally other days start with Value as lowest price available and then eventually get a Saver. The pattern I tend to see for popular trains (I travel just about weekly nine months of the year) is:

4 months out and more = Value and higher

2-3 months = Saver available

6 weeks to a month = Saver sometimes sold out

1 month or less = Saver frequently sold out

2 weeks or less - no Savers

I check the site weekly at that change from 4 to 3 months and can usually grab a Saver. One big example is 85 on Fridays; it starts high and gets lower. Another that often gets a Saver as time goes on is 193 on a Thursday.

Is this an NEC only thing? For example, in our case we're traveling on California Capitol Corridor trains, about 3 1/2 months out now. I'm wondering if the Saver fares are already sold out, aren't being offered, or will start being offered about 2-3 months out like Bex mentioned.

 

[Bex]

Unfortunately, I only know the NEC when it comes to fares. But what I tend to do if I must be on a certain train is buy the Value fare and then exchange it later if a Saver turns up. I get an eVoucher, which is fine for me but may be a problem for you if you don't take Amtrak often.

 

[niemi24s]

I'm wondering if the Saver fares are already sold out, aren't being offered, or will start being offered about 2-3 months out like Bex mentioned.

I think the only thing that can be said with any certainty about Saver coach fares is they're not offered within 14 days of departure. Read that somewhere on the Amtrak website. As to why they might not be offered more than a fortnight out on a particular route is beyond me. But I'm sure others will chime in with splendid-sounding reasons based on yield management, Euclidean Economics or other such stuff.

FWIW, a quick check using AmSnag.. http://www.biketrain.net/amsnag/amSnag.php ..shows that Saver fares are offered as far out as 10 months out (January 2017) on the Southwest Chief. Saver fares are 20% below the Low Bucket coach fare and are indicated by the circled quantities on the chart in Post #5. AmSnag is the easiest way to search for dates when Saver fares are offered. Let AmSnag be your friend by becoming adept at using it. It's fantastic!

 

[SubwayNut]

The capital corridor is unreserved, the fares won't really change the same way.

 

[Sis]

In my experience I get better prices when I call Amtrak and yes, reserve sooner rather than later.